In
the agreement,
Ban's role is
only to
"submit
recommendations,"
and even then
"in
consultation
with the
OPCW."

But
also quickly
shown up as
having limited
relevance are
the US' two
partners in
the Permanent
Five members
of the
Security
Council,
France and the
UK.

France rushed
to draft and
promote a
resolution
last week that
is now not
only undercut
by the US, but
largely moot.
Will either
use their veto
for what they
say they
believe in?
Not if
the US says
not to. Hence
Monday's lunch
in Paris,
between John Kerry
and his
counterparts
William J.
Hague and "Fabulous"
Laurent
Fabius.

Speaking
of
spoon-fed,
last week
insider
journalists
were hyping up
the French
draft; several
even skipped
going to cover
the P5
meeting on
September 11
at the Russian
Mission on
67th Street,
in order to
stay
in the UN's
air
conditioning
and be
spoon-fed the
French
resolution
and quotes
about Ban's
"overwhelming"
report.

Now
their game
will shift to
decrying
violations
right away,
openly
bemoaning as
some already
have the
limits of the
agreement,
that is,
that the US
did not
actually hit
Syria with
missiles. This
seems to
be the
position of
the Voice of
America, at
least at the
UN.

Maybe
it takes a
while for
marching
orders to
trickle down
from John
Kerry,
who serves of
VOA's
Broadcasting
Board of
Governor, to
the bureau at
the UN, the
land that time
forgot.